Prof. Nicolas Hans Voelcker Profile

Prof. Nicolas Hans Voelcker

Associate Head of the Faculty of Science and Engg at Flinders Univ

SPIE Involvement:

Author

Publications (27)

Proceedings Article | 24 December 2011 Paper

Chemical and biomolecule patterning on 2D surfaces using atmospheric pressure microcavity plasma array devices

Sameer Al-Bataineh, Endre Szili, Gillies Desmet, Paul Ruschitzka, Philipp Gruner, Craig Priest, Nicolas Voelcker, David Steele, Robert Short, Hans Griesser

Proceedings Volume 8204, 82043H (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.903304

KEYWORDS: Coating, Proteins, Polymers, Plasma, Adsorption, Optical lithography, Atmospheric plasma, Silicon, Ions, Optical microcavities

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Proceedings Article | 30 December 2008 Paper

Pore spanning lipid bilayers on silanised nanoporous alumina membranes

Abdul Md Jani, Jinwen Zhou, Matthew Nussio, Dusan Losic, Joe Shapter, Nicolas Voelcker

Proceedings Volume 7267, 72670T (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.808769

KEYWORDS: Aluminum, Scanning electron microscopy, Atomic force microscopy, Imaging spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, Solids, Proteins, Infrared spectroscopy, Spectroscopy, Silicon

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The preparation of bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) on solid surfaces is important for many studies probing various important biological phenomena including the cell barrier properties, ion-channels, biosensing, drug discovery and protein/ligand interactions. In this work we present new membrane platforms based on suspended BLMs on nanoporous anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) membranes. AAO membranes were prepared by electrochemical anodisation of aluminium foil in 0.3 M oxalic acid using a custom-built etching cell and applying voltage of 40 V, at 1^oC. AAO membranes with controlled diameter of pores from 30 - 40 nm (top of membrane) and 60 -70 nm (bottom of membrane) were fabricated. Pore dimensions have been confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). AAO membranes were chemically functionalised with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES). Confirmation of the APTES attachment to the AAO membrane was achieved by means of infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle measurements. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of functionalised membranes show several peaks from 2800 to 3000 cm^-1 which were assigned to symmetric and antisymmetric CH₂ bands. XPS data of the membrane showed a distinct increase in C1s (285 eV), N1s (402 eV) and Si2p (102 eV) peaks after silanisation. The water contact angle of the functionalised membrane was 80^o as compared to 20^o for the untreated membrane. The formation of BLMs comprising dioleoyl-phosphatidylserine (DOPS) on APTESmodified AAO membranes was carried using the vesicle spreading technique. AFM imaging and force spectroscopy was used to characterise the structural and nanomechanical properties of the suspended membrane. This technique also confirmed the stability of bilayers on the nanoporous alumina support for several days. Fabricated suspended BLMs on nanoporous AAO hold promise for the construction of biomimetic membrane architectures with embedded transmembrane proteins.

Proceedings Article | 30 December 2008 Paper

Diatom culture media contain extracellular silica nanoparticles which form opalescent films

Dusan Losic, James Mitchell, Nicolas Voelcker

Proceedings Volume 7267, 726712 (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.811321

KEYWORDS: Silica, Nanoparticles, Scanning electron microscopy, Microscopy, Atomic force microscopy, Nanolithography, Cell death, Optical filters, Silicon, Optical microscopy

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Proceedings Article | 30 December 2008 Paper

Designing superhydrophobic surfaces using fluorosilsesquioxane-urethane hybrid and porous silicon gradients

Aravindaraj Kannan, Steven McInnes, Namita Choudhury, Naba Dutta, Nicolas Voelcker

Proceedings Volume 7267, 72670O (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.812082

KEYWORDS: Silicon, Thin films, Carbon, Silicon films, Oxygen, Chemistry, Thin film coatings, Fluorine, Semiconducting wafers, Nitrogen

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Proceedings Article | 30 December 2008 Paper

Development of a wireless intra-ocular pressure monitoring system for incorporation into a therapeutic glaucoma drainage implant

Tarun Kakaday, Malcolm Plunkett, Steven McInnes, Jim S. Jimmy Li, Nicolas Voelcker, Jamie Craig

Proceedings Volume 7270, 72700O (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.810647

KEYWORDS: Sensors, Antennas, Eye, Microelectromechanical systems, Inductance, Tissues, Capacitance, Spectrum analysis, Environmental sensing, Human subjects

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Proceedings Article | 30 December 2008 Paper

Magnetic and fluorescence-encoded polystyrene microparticles for cell separation

Diana Bradbury, Emily Anglin, Sheree Bailey, Peter Macardle, Michael Fenech, Helmut Thissen, Nicolas Voelcker

Proceedings Volume 7267, 726711 (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.812208

KEYWORDS: Particles, Proteins, Magnetism, Luminescence, Nanoparticles, Tissues, Iron, Oxides, Microscopy, Quantum dots

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Proceedings Article | 30 December 2008 Paper

Preparation of chemical gradients on porous silicon by a dip coating method

Lauren Clements, Ljiljana Puskar, Mark Tobin, Frances Harding, Helmut Thissen, Nicolas Voelcker

Proceedings Volume 7267, 72670Q (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.810718

KEYWORDS: Silicon, Infrared spectroscopy, Infrared microscopy, Coating, Chemistry, Ozone, Chemical analysis, Microscopy, Synchrotrons, Infrared radiation

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Proceedings Article | 30 December 2008 Paper

Preparation and characterisation of vertically aligned single-walled carbon nanotube arrays on porous silicon

Cameron Shearer, Kristina Constantopoulos, Nicolas Voelcker, Joseph Shapter, Amanda Ellis

Proceedings Volume 7267, 72670I (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.811472

KEYWORDS: Silicon, Ozone, Atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, Etching, Confocal microscopy, Semiconducting wafers, Nitrogen, Carbon nanotubes

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Proceedings Article | 30 December 2008 Paper

The influence of pore size and oxidizing agent on the energetic properties of porous silicon

Andrew Plummer, Helen Cao, Richard Dawson, Rachel Lowe, Joe Shapter, Nicolas Voelcker

Proceedings Volume 7267, 72670P (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.810453

KEYWORDS: Silicon, Aluminum, Explosives, Etching, Sodium, Gadolinium, Scanning electron microscopy, Semiconducting wafers, Photodiodes, Bioalcohols

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Proceedings Article | 30 December 2008 Paper

Preparation and characterization of multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/polymer nanostructured materials

Kristina Constantopoulos, Cameron Shearer, Joseph Shapter, Nicolas Voelcker, Amanda Ellis

Proceedings Volume 7267, 72670G (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.810958

KEYWORDS: Polymers, Carbon nanotubes, Magnesium, FT-IR spectroscopy, Carbon, Nitrogen, Nanostructuring, Atomic force microscopy, Solids, Spectroscopy

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Proceedings Article | 30 December 2008 Paper

One-step surface modification of poly(dimethylsiloxane) by undecylenic acid

Jinwen Zhou, Steven McInnes, Abdul Mutalib Md Jani, Amanda Ellis, Nicolas Voelcker

Proceedings Volume 7267, 726719 (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.810101

KEYWORDS: Luminescence, Absorbance, Microfluidics, Oxygen, Polymers, Silicon, Bioalcohols, Glasses, Adsorption, Plasma

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Proceedings Article | 27 December 2007 Paper

Enhancement of reverse transfection efficiency by combining stimulated DNA surface desorption and electroporation

Rhiannon Creasey, Andrew Hook, Helmut Thissen, Nicolas Voelcker

Proceedings Volume 6799, 67991D (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.759382

KEYWORDS: Luminescence, Green fluorescent protein, Optical filters, Linear filtering, Scanners, Silicon, Glasses, Solids, Microscopy, Plasma

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Transfection cell microarrays (TCMs) are a high-throughput, miniaturised cell-culture system utilising reverse transfection, in which cells are seeded onto a DNA array resulting in localised regions of transfected cells. TCMs are useful for the analysis of gene expression, and can be used to identify genes involved in many cellular processes. This is of significant interest in fields such as tissue engineering, diagnostic screening, and drug testing^{[1, 2]}. Low transfection efficiency has so far limited the application and utility of this technique. Recently, the transfection efficiency of TCMs was improved by an application of a high voltage for a short period of time to the DNA array resulting in the electroporation of cells attached to the surface^{[3, 4]}. Furthermore, application of a low voltage for a longer period of time to the DNA array was shown to improve the transfection efficiency by stimulating the desorption of attached DNA, increasing the concentration of DNA available for cellular uptake^[5]. In the present study, the optimisation of the uptake of adsorbed DNA vectors by adherent cells, utilising a voltage bias without compromising cell viability was investigated. This was achieved by depositing negatively charged DNA plasmids onto a positively charged allylamine plasma polymer (ALAPP) layer deposited on highly doped p-type silicon wafers either using a pipettor or a microarray contact printer. Surface-dependant human embryonic kidney (HEK 293 line) cells were cultured onto the DNA vector loaded ALAPP spots and the plasmid transfection events were detected by fluorescence microscopy. Cell viability assays, including fluorescein diacetate (FDA) / Hoechst DNA labelling, were carried out to determine the number of live adherent cells before and after application of a voltage. A protocol was developed to screen for voltage biases and exposure times in order to optimise transfection efficiency and cell viability. Cross-contamination between the microarray spots carrying different DNA vectors was also investigated. By application of a voltage of 286 V/cm for 10 ms, transfection efficiency was doubled compared to using only transfection reagent, whilst maintaining a cell viability of 60-70% of the positive control.

Proceedings Article | 27 December 2007 Paper

Interfacing porous silicon with biomolecules

Martin Sweetman, Sean Graney, Nicolas Voelcker

Proceedings Volume 6799, 679907 (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.759211

KEYWORDS: Silicon, Proteins, Semiconducting wafers, Luminescence, Atomic force microscopy, Nitrogen, Biosensors, Infrared spectroscopy, Etching, Oxidation

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Proceedings Article | 27 December 2007 Paper

Control over wettability via surface modification of porous gradients

Y. Khung, M. Cole, S. McInnes, N. Voelcker

Proceedings Volume 6799, 679909 (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.759377

KEYWORDS: Electrodes, Silicon, Chemistry, Scanning electron microscopy, Etching, Atomic force microscopy, Infrared spectroscopy, Ozone, Platinum, Semiconducting wafers

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Proceedings Article | 27 December 2007 Paper

Preparation of two-directional gradient surfaces for the analysis of cell-surface interactions

Lauren Clements, Yit-Lung Khung, Helmut Thissen, Nicolas Voelcker

Proceedings Volume 6799, 67990W (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.759351

KEYWORDS: Silicon, Polymers, Electrodes, Plasma, Scanning electron microscopy, Chemistry, Atomic force microscopy, Etching, Glasses, Coating

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Proceedings Article | 27 December 2007 Paper

Porous silicon biosensor for the detection of auto-immune diseases

Andrew Jane, Endre Szili, Joanne Reed, Tom Gordon, Nicolas Voelcker

Proceedings Volume 6799, 679908 (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.759260

KEYWORDS: Proteins, Biosensors, Lanthanum, Corrosion, Silicon, Sensors, Signal detection, Scanning electron microscopy, Ozone, Oxidation

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Proceedings Article | 9 January 2007 Paper

Application of nanostructured biochips for efficient cell transfection microarrays

Yamini Akkamsetty, Andrew Hook, Helmut Thissen, Jason Hayes, Nicolas Voelcker

Proceedings Volume 6413, 64130R (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.695954

KEYWORDS: Silicon, Image filtering, Luminescence, Printing, Plasma, Linear filtering, Electrodes, Polymerization, Laser ablation, Proteins

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Proceedings Article | 9 January 2007 Paper

Microarrays for the evaluation of cell-biomaterial surface interactions

H. Thissen, G. Johnson, G. McFarland, B. Verbiest, T. Gengenbach, N. Voelcker

Proceedings Volume 6413, 64130B (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.696030

KEYWORDS: Polymers, Coating, Glasses, Luminescence, Printing, Plasma, In vitro testing, Polymerization, Microscopy, Chemistry

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Proceedings Article | 9 January 2007 Paper

A novel surface modification approach for protein and cell microarrays

Mahaveer Kurkuri, Chantelle Driever, Helmut Thissen, Nicholas Voelcker

Proceedings Volume 6413, 64130Z (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.715172

KEYWORDS: Proteins, Polymers, Glasses, Printing, Humidity, Plasma, Luminescence, Silicon, Solids, Ellipsometry

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Proceedings Article | 9 January 2007 Paper

A platform for the advanced spatial and temporal control of biomolecules

Andrew Hook, Helmut Thissen, Jason Hayes, Nicolas Voelcker

Proceedings Volume 6413, 64130C (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.695595

KEYWORDS: Adsorption, Silicon, Plasma, Laser ablation, Luminescence, Polymerization, Polymers, FT-IR spectroscopy, Control systems, Microscopy

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Proceedings Article | 22 December 2006 Paper

Silica nanostructure formation from synthetic R5 peptide

Indrayani Tajuddin, Nicholas Voelcker, Jim Mitchell

Proceedings Volume 6413, 64130Q (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.695946

KEYWORDS: Silica, Nanostructures, Scanning electron microscopy, Optical spheres, Silicon, Particles, Atomic force microscopy, Nanoparticles, Solids, Nanostructuring

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Proceedings Article | 14 December 2006 Paper

Switchable surface coatings for control over protein adsorption

Martin Cole, Marek Jasieniak, Nicolas Voelcker, Helmut Thissen, Roger Horn, Hans Griesser

Proceedings Volume 6416, 641606 (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.696290

KEYWORDS: Proteins, Adsorption, Silicon, Polymers, Ions, Polymerization, Statistical analysis, Interfaces, Semiconducting wafers, Biomedical optics

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Proceedings Article | 19 January 2006 Paper

Porous silicon microparticles as an alternative support for solid phase DNA synthesis

Steven McInnes, Sean Graney, Yit-lung Khung, Nicolas Voelcker

Proceedings Volume 6036, 60361W (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.659972

KEYWORDS: Solids, Silicon, Scanning electron microscopy, Particles, Glasses, Infrared spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Etching, Sodium

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Proceedings Article | 19 January 2006 Paper

Characterisation of porous silicon/poly(L-lactide) composites prepared using surface initiated ring opening polymerisation

Steven McInnes, Helmut Thissen, Namita Choudhury, Nicolas Voelcker

Proceedings Volume 6036, 60361X (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.659973

KEYWORDS: Silicon, Polymerization, Polymers, Composites, Semiconducting wafers, Atomic force microscopy, Tin, Glasses, Tissue engineering, Infrared spectroscopy

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Proceedings Article | 16 February 2005 Paper

Switchable coatings for biomedical applications

Martin Cole, Nicolas Voelcker, Helmut Thissen

Proceedings Volume 5651, (2005) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.582306

KEYWORDS: Proteins, Adsorption, Plasma, Silicon, Polymers, Biomedical optics, Polymer thin films, Atomic force microscopy, Semiconducting wafers, Natural surfaces

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